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brave

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brave¹

  • /bɹeɪv/ US, UK
  • /bɹæɪv/ Australia, New Zealand
  • /bɾev/ Scotland
  • [bɾeːv] Scotland
  • /bɾeːv/ Wales

Rhymes with -eɪv

Where it comes from

From Middle French brave, borrowed from Italian bravo, itself of uncertain origin (see there). Doublet of bravo.

adjective braver · more brave · bravest · most brave

  1. Strong in the face of fear; courageous. For miſerie doth braueſt mindes abate, / And make them ſeeke for that they wont to ſcorne, / Of fortune and of hope at once forlorne.

    Similar: bold, daring, doughty, orped, resilient, stalwart, plucky · Opposite: cowardly, fearful, mean, weak

  2. obsolete Having any sort of superiority or excellence. Is it not paſſing braue to be a King, And ride in triumph through Perſepolis?
  3. Making a fine show or display. Their plumed helmes are wrought with beaten golde, Their ſwords enameld, and about their neckes Hangs maſſie chaines of golde downe to the waſte, In euery part exceding braue and rich.
  4. UK, euphemistic Foolish or unwise.

    Similar: courageous

Similar: adventurous, mettlesome, aweless, bad, bold, brass-balled, chivalrous, courageous, daredevil, daring, dauntless, doughty, fearless, fortitudinous, gallant, gutsy, heroic, intrepid, lionhearted, orped, plucky, stalwart, stalworth, stouthearted, unafraid, undaunted, valiant, valorous, venturesome · Opposite: afraid, cowardly, cautious, fearful, frightened, meek, shy, timid, uncourageous, unhearty

noun braves

  1. dated A Native American warrior.
  2. obsolete A man daring beyond discretion; a bully. Hot Braves, like thee, may fight; but know not well / To manage this, the laſt great Stake of Hell.
  3. obsolete A challenge; a defiance; bravado. Demetrius, thou dost overween in all; / And so in this, to bear me down with braves.

brave²

  • /bɹeɪv/ US, UK
  • /bɹæɪv/ Australia, New Zealand
  • /bɾev/ Scotland
  • [bɾeːv] Scotland
  • /bɾeːv/ Wales

Rhymes with -eɪv

Where it comes from

From Middle French braver, from brave.

verb braves · braving · braved

  1. transitive To encounter or withstand with courage and fortitude, to defy, to provoke. After braving tricks on the high-dive, he braved a jump off the first diving platform.
  2. obsolete, transitive To adorn; to make fine or showy. Face not me. Thou hast braved many men; brave not me. I will neither be faced nor braved.

Brave³

proper noun Braves

  1. countable, uncountable A surname.
  2. countable, uncountable A census-designated place in Greene County, Pennsylvania, United States.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: courageous, stouthearted, lionhearted, valiant, intrepid, mettlesome, valorous, gallant, audacious, stalwart, brave out, venture, spunky, spirited, endure, game

adjective

Similar: adventurous, mettlesome, aweless, bad, bold, brass-balled, chivalrous, courageous, daredevil, daring, dauntless, doughty, fearless, fortitudinous, gallant, gutsy, heroic, intrepid, lionhearted, orped, plucky, stalwart, stalworth, stouthearted, unafraid, undaunted, valiant, valorous, venturesome · Opposite: afraid, cowardly, cautious, fearful, frightened, meek, shy, timid, uncourageous, unhearty

Translations

Every language

adj strong in the face of fear

Españolbravo
한국어용감하다 yonggamhada
日本語勇敢な yūkan na, 勇気ある yūki aru, 勇猛な yūmō na, 雄々しい ooshii
中文勇敢 yǒnggǎn
हिन्दीबहादुर bahādur, व्यकित vyakit
Kiswahilijasiri
Portuguêsbravo, valente, corajoso, bravio
Françaiscourageux
Deutschtapfer, mutig
Italianocoraggioso, ardito, baldo, audace, valoroso, impavido
Ελληνικάγενναίος gennaíos, θαρραλέος tharraléos
Românăcurajos, brav
Русскийхра́брый xrábryj, сме́лый smélyj, отва́жный otvážnyj, бесстра́шный besstrášnyj, бра́вый brávyj
Tiếng Việtdũng cảm, mạnh dạn, mạnh bạo, gan dạ, quả cảm, gan góc
العربيةشُجَاع šujāʕ, جَرِيء jarīʔ, جَسُور jasūr
עבריתאַמִּיץ amitz, אמיצה amitza

adj (obsolete) having any sort of superiority or excellence

Русскийдивный divnyj

noun native American warrior

DeutschKrieger
Русскийинде́йский во́ин indéjskij vóin

verb to encounter with courage

Deutschtrotzen

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MLA

"brave." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/brave. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

APA

brave. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/brave

Chicago

"brave." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 5, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/brave.

BibTeX
@misc{brave_2026,
  title = {brave},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/brave},
  urldate = {2026-11-05}
}